How my use of AI for writing has evolved over time

And the lesson the journey has taught me

When I first started writing copy – and we are going back a couple of years – I was a definition of a rookie. I didn’t know the different types of copy or different techniques to write it. I was learning all the tricks and clever ways to add persuasion, handle objections and — every copywriter’s ‘favourite’ — write great bullets.

I was super excited, very motivated and — typical for a rookie — very impatient. I wanted to write a great copy TODAY.

Whilst I was still ‘learning the ropes’, AI became a tempting helper. My thinking at the time was that if I gave it a decent-enough prompt, set context, limitations, and the type of copy I was working on, then it would give me a starting point I could then refine and modify to my heart’s content.

It sounded like a great shortcut to getting better at copywriting, and for a while the illusion worked quite well.

To be honest, I thought I was winning at life. All these great sentences coming effortlessly to the pages, I couldn’t believe it was this easy…

At the same time, I couldn’t help but feel like the biggest imposter in the room, and I couldn’t shake the thought that it can’t be THIS easy to write as well as all those brilliant copywriters I was learning the craft from.

My gut was telling me this wasn’t it. There was something I was missing; I just didn’t exactly know what — yet.

Luckily, I continued learning copywriting from anyone and everyone who was more advanced at copy than me. I completed copywriting coaching programs, watched masterclasses, read copywriting classics, listened to podcasts, and my audiobook playlist could fill a week of non-stop listening…

It wasn’t just reading and listening without applying. I completed the exercises, and I did the rewrites the coaches/books suggested. And the more I practised and dissected good — and proven — copy, the more I saw how superficial the copy AI was writing for me was.

Yes, it was coming effortlessly to the page, but it didn’t feel as effortless or as entertaining to read as all the great copy I was learning to do.

It also didn’t feel like I wrote it. Every time I hit ‘publish’, I felt like I was submitting somebody else’s homework…

So, I changed how I was using AI.

I no longer asked it to write a first draft; I asked it to improve it instead.

Again, it helped me, or so I thought…

Coincidence had it that at that time my storytelling coach was pushing for no AI-generated work, which forced me to write ‘from scratch’, and it brought me masses of value AI couldn’t.

You see, what happened was I would sweat and grind my teeth through the tough beginning of staring at the blank page, trying to figure out what angle to use, headlines that were dreadfully boring, and the awkward transitions that took me absolute hours to ‘smooth out’…

But I started to notice something I was not expecting.

Every time I wrote ‘from scratch’, the painful steps were becoming a little bit easier. Everything was starting to go quicker — A LOT quicker. I realised that toughing it out and forcing myself to get through the edits ‘the hard way’ taught me more about how to write than any ‘let AI write it and I’ll edit it’ has done so far.

Writer’s block was visiting less often, and imposter syndrome was not creeping in as much. I was finally improving fast, and I loved it!

My writing goals were never about churning tons of content to feed the algorithms and rank at the top of SEO. I wanted to learn how to write great copy and mesmerising stories. I wanted to learn how to apply my creativity whilst still keeping the writing ‘on point’.

I didn’t know yet that, by definition, AI couldn’t help me with that. It’s trained to bring out the most likely and most probable result, not the most creative one.

But I needed the latter…

I realised that AI was actually holding me back. Sure, the writing process seemed quicker, but my learning was actually slower.

Just like with anything in life, I needed the reps, and they needed to suck a little.

So, my use of AI has changed, yet again.

Now, I no longer see it as a co-writer. I stopped asking it for feedback; I stopped allowing it to come up with a copy outline. I only use it as an occasional brainstorm tool when I’m stuck on a word or a phrase — though even for that I find playing with a thesaurus more productive.

I’m not against it, and if you use AI as part of your writing process — I get it. I’ve done it, and I understand. But for me and my writing goals, this is not a tool I want to rely heavily on.

Plus, there is one aspect of AI that has been bugging me recently, especially with Substack introducing this technology to their platform.

I don’t know what score this article will get with the AI scanner. Based on my journey with AI, I have likely picked up some AI-writing that might get recognised as ‘machine-written’. I also like em-dashes, lists of three, and I use staccato sentences here and there for effect.

Still, I don’t write with AI anymore. This article hasn’t been written with AI at all, regardless of what the machine thinks…

But that’s beside the point.

What bugs me is the idea of my content being used to train AI, and me having to jump through hoops to prevent it. I don’t think of myself as an exceptional writer or anything, but I do see myself as a writer who would like to keep control over how my content is used.

So…

I’m currently working on a better way to share my storytelling with you and send you content with a behind-the-scenes look at executing storytelling in copy, marketing and writing in general — and all the ups and downs that come with it…

Very soon, my newsletter will be coming to your inbox in a different way.

If you’re a subscriber, nothing will really change for you, except the email address it’s sent from and the look of the email.

If you are a follower of my account on Substack, then, to continue enjoying my content, become a free subscriber so you’re on the list.

I feel like I have come full circle with AI.

I’ve been fascinated, then became a heavy user, but once I realised how it affects my writing journey, I reduced my usage back down to effectively zero.

I want my writing to be fully mine, with all the quirkiness and odd word choices included. If it takes me longer to get there, so be it. At the end of the day, the journey is just as exciting as the goal itself.

Until next time,
Dot